France's FIFA World Cup 2026 dream came to an end after their semi-final defeat to Spain, but Kylian Mbappe's hopes of retaining the Golden Boot remain very much alive. The Real Madrid superstar is currently tied with Lionel Messi as the tournament's joint-highest scorer with eight goals, setting up an intriguing race that could go down to the final two matches of the competition.
While Messi's Argentina will face Spain in the World Cup final, France still have one fixture left against England in the third-place playoff. That match could prove decisive in determining whether Mbappe becomes the first player since Ronaldo Nazario to win back-to-back World Cup Golden Boots.
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Why Messi is currently leading the Golden Boot race
Although Messi and Mbappe have both scored eight goals, FIFA's Golden Boot rules place the Argentina captain ahead because of the first tiebreaker — assists.
Messi has registered four assists during the tournament compared to Kylian Mbappe's three, giving the Argentine legend the advantage heading into the final weekend.
According to FIFA regulations, the Golden Boot is first awarded to the player with the most goals. If two or more players finish level, assists are used as the first tiebreaker. Should players remain tied on both goals and assists, the award is decided by total minutes played, with the player featuring in fewer minutes ranked higher.
That means Messi currently sits at the top of the standings despite both superstars having identical goal tallies.
What Mbappe must do to win the award
France's elimination has not ended Mbappe's chances because the third-place playoff is officially counted towards Golden Boot standings.
The equation is now relatively straightforward. Mbappe must either score or provide an assist against England to move ahead in the race, while hoping Messi fails to add either a goal or an assist in Argentina's World Cup final against Spain.
If Mbappe scores to move onto nine goals, he would automatically secure the Golden Boot regardless of Messi's performance unless the Argentine captain also scores. Likewise, if both players remain level on goals but Mbappe records an additional assist to match or surpass Messi's tally while the Argentine remains statistically unchanged in the final, the race could extend to the next tiebreaker depending on the final numbers.
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Having won the Golden Boot at the 2022 FIFA World Cup after scoring a memorable hat-trick in the final against Argentina, Kylian Mbappe now has one last opportunity to defend his crown. However, with Messi leading both the goal involvement chart and Argentina into the title clash, the French captain's fate is no longer entirely in his own hands.